wow i'm so bad at this...it's been almost a year since i last posted a chapter. thank you for your favorites and reviews! please enjoy this chapter!

He had been watching Harlock for some time. Though it had not even been half a decade since Jall had first noticed the Earthling, his mind's perception gave each month the span of a year. His observation had been constant- obsessive to an outsider, but par for the course to those who knew the eccentric collector.

Within Illumidas popular culture, the source of Northen Jall's wealth was one of the great mysteries that addled the public conscious. The indifferent and uninterested merely thought of him as an enigma, best not to bother with. Among his most critical, he tended to exemplify the seediest and most corrupt stratum of society; he was either the target of government bribery, or the one who bribed them. Simply put, the man was not easily explained.

It was common knowledge that Jall possessed vast resources, powerful connections, and a gambler's mind. It was less commonly known that he was a risk-taker, but calculatedly so. When a dangerous, yet highly rewarding bet made itself apparent to him, he knew he had to have it. To sate his desire, he manipulated every factor to his advantage so that culling the rewards came at much less of a cost to him. And so it was with his plans for Harlock.

In the heat of the crowded auction hall, Northen Jall whispered to himself. "Come on, damn you, come on..."

Mrs. Jall leaned her head backward in a manner that seemed almost certainly uncomfortable. She looked his face over from her position, eyes scanning his lips as they formed the same syllables over and over.

"It's not my place to judge," she started, as Jall snapped up to meet her gaze. "But you sound like some third-rate moron trying his luck at the ponies."

"One of your Earth people put it best: I'm blending the sacred and the profane."

"And tell me, what is that supposed to mean?" Her voice softened, gently teasing.

"I'll tell you," Jall said, smiling. "Your standard horse race, game of poker, or what-have-you, are all the lowest games of chance. They, and all things associated with them, are profane. They are nothing but base when compared to the upper hierarchy of chance."

"Upper hierarchy?" Annamaria remembered the many previous times when her husband mentioned his personal ranking of the varieties of gambling, but had not asked for an explanation until now.

"The sacred. Using living things as lots. Toying with fate, becoming fate itself. That is the epitome of gambling, my dear."

"Mm...you play at being God, but you treat it like it's just a dirty little game?"

The affection from Jall's smile disappeared as it morphed into a wide grin. "And I get such a rush out of it."

The two briefly entered into a passionate kiss, then returned to what had been occupying them before.

"Come on, damn you...come on..."

At the front of the hall, Fergus called out the newest item. From row L, Harlock's ears perked up.

"Number 14, folks! Contributed by our very own Mr. Northen Jall, this piece is a fine example of modern engineering! It originates from Earth, built by the scheming little hands of one Mr. Tochiro Oyama, who I'm sure you'll recognize as a wanted pirate and accomplice to the infamous Captain Harlock!"

Kei groaned. "I doubt Mr. Tochiro would take that comment about his hands very well."

Preparing to raise his paddle, Harlock quieted her. "Kei. This is it."

"Understood, Captain." She sat up straight and focused on the emcee.

"This," continued Fergus, motioning a hand to present the image of the cannon being projected next to her. "Is the TWMC-X55. As you can tell from the projection, this thing is enormous! Bidders, you better have brought along a cargo freighter if you want to take it home with you."

The audience let out a series of snorts and chuckles.

"Though, if you haven't, there are more than a few businesses around the port who will be happy to rent you one." Fergus winked, then cleared her throat. "Anyhow, both Mr. Jall and several military officers have assured us that this huge cannon is totally disarmed. Yes, it is absolutely harmless, unless it happens to fall on you."

Laughter erupted from the seats. Tadashi attempted to hide his smirk.

The emcee took a deep breath once the audience quieted. "Let's start the bidding at 75,000 Gallos, shall we? Alright, who's got 75,000?"

Tadashi leaned over and whispered to Kei, "How much money do we have?"

"800,000 Gallos. Shh!" she hissed back.

Harlock raised his paddle high into the air. Across the hall, he counted about thirty others. He tensed, forcing his arm to stay steady. He didn't know how long he would have to keep it up.

"75,000! How about 80?"

No paddles went down.

"85? Okay, now 95,000?"

Two arms lowered. Someone shouted, "110!"

Fergus whistled. "We have a raise of 110,000 Gallos! Who wants to challenge that?"

A few more paddles disappeared from the crowd. Another voice called out, "125,000!" Following that, twenty-one bidders were left, not counting Harlock.

A man near the front with a paddle reading "C36" excitedly proclaimed, "300!"

"300!" Fergus repeated. "Do we have 350?"

Harlock clicked his tongue. Around him, four arms resigned. He muttered to Kei and Tadashi, "Now the heavy hitters come out to play." To Fergus, he raised his voice and said, "350,000."

C36 stuck his paddle higher. "450!"

"500," Harlock called.

A woman two rows in front of Harlock's group raised the bid to 600,000 Gallos. Before long, it increased to 650,000. Then 675,000. Then 750,000.

Kei grabbed Harlock's sleeve. "Captain…"

He brushed her away. "I know," he answered, his voice strained. "For now, we'll have to fake our way through this."

"And what about once we have to pay up?" Kei prepared herself to run at any moment.

Harlock didn't answer. Instead, he shouted, "850!"

Fergus clapped. "I have 850! 850, now 900? 900?"

"1 million!" raised C36.

"Wow! That's 1 million Gallos, do I have 2 mil?" Fergus looked around the crowd, then to the ringers standing in the wings and along the aisles. "1 million, now 2 million? Now 2 mil? 2 mil? How about 1.5 mil? Okay, 1.5 mil? 1.5 mil?"

Harlock grit his teeth. "1.5 million!"

"1.5! I have 1.5, now 2?"

C36, protecting his claim, bid 2 million Gallos.

"2 mil! I have 2 mil, now 2.5?"

The woman who had bid 600,000 Gallos raised her paddle. "2.5 million!"

C36 bid 3 million. The same woman as before, paddle J13, bid 3.5 million. C36 bid 3.75 million.

"Damn it," Harlock swore under his breath. "4.5 million!"

J13 said nothing, and put down her arm.

"4.75 million!" spit C36.

Harlock's voice was hoarse by the time he uttered his bid. "5 million Gallos."

"5 mil! I have 5 mil, now 5.5 mil? Now 5.5 mil? Now 5.5 mil? Now 5.5 mil?" Fergus was closing the bid. "Sold! Sold to L11 for 5 million Gallos! Congratulations! An attendant will assist you with payment and retrieval, as always. Now, to lot number 15..."

Harlock exhaled and spent a good while just breathing heavily, in and out. His arm felt heavy and he badly needed a drink of water. "Kei, Tadashi. We're going."

The three got up from their seats, walked down the hall past rows upon rows of bidders, and exited out the great doors at the end. Northen and Annamaria Jall watched them as they left, then followed them out.

As they passed down the aisle, Annamaria murmured to her husband. "It's a shame we didn't have the chance to really put those cameras to use."

Jall tapped her on the nose with a playful finger. "Now, now, darling. Their time will come."

"Ooh, I hope so! What are you going to do with them?"

He thought for a moment. "Well, let's see...why don't I let the whole human race watch me bring down their champion? Can you imagine it? Billions of people, their hopes all dying out? And it'll be me who kills them."

"Toying with hope," Annamaria considered. "Do you consider that sacred or profane?"

"To kill hope is to kill God. That, my sweet, is the most sacred act of all."